Liberal Democrat MP who ‘acted aggressively towards’ Nigel Farage revealed after Reform leader skips Budget

Mr Farage spoke about the “physical confrontation” while explaining why he missed John Healey’s first Budget as Chancellor.

The Reform UK leader, who watched the Budget alongside Reform UK’s economic advisers, claimed he feared another incident after his prayer card was removed.

Speaking at a post-Budget press conference yesterday, Mr Farage said: “I didn’t want to, but I got involved in a physical altercation with an MP in the chamber.

“I didn’t make a fuss about it. I didn’t complain, but I could see that — given that my prayer card had been removed — I was heading towards another physical altercation.”

Despite 643 MPs taking their seats in the House of Commons, there is only enough room for 427 MPs to sit in the chamber at any one time.

To reserve a seat, MPs use a prayer card and place it in one of the holders on the green benches behind them.

Responding to a clip of Mr Farage’s press conference, Ms Voaden took to social media to challenge the Reform UK leader’s version of events.

The Liberal Democrats’ schools spokeswoman said: “And we both know that’s not true, Nigel don’t we?

“I’m still waiting for the apology you were required to write to me…Though I won’t hold my breath.”

A Liberal Democrat source told The Telegraph that the 57-year-old was “shocked and shaken” by the incident.

“He seems to be suggesting that he was the victim, when the reality was quite the opposite,” they added.

A Reform UK insider responded: “It’s not true at all, it was the Lib Dem MPs being aggressive towards Nigel.

“This is typical Lib Dem dishonesty in an attempt to stay relevant.”

GB News understands a prayer card was removed from a seat in the House of Commons yesterday because it did not display a valid date stamp.

A House of Commons spokesman said: “There are clear and long-established arrangements for Members to reserve their own seats in the Chamber using Prayer Cards displaying a valid date stamp.

“A Prayer Card placed on a seat did not display a valid date stamp and was removed in line with the usual Chamber protocol.”

Tory MP Alicia Kearns also rejected the suggestion Mr Farage was unable to attend the Budget.

She said: “Any of the Reform MPs could have given their seat up for him.

“There were lots of seats without reservation, when exactly did Farage come into the chamber looking for a seat?”

The Reform UK leader, who does not have the automatic right to respond to the Budget, gave a second reason why he watched John Healey from outside the Commons.

He said: “It was actually more useful to me to sit in the office with a team of economists around me.

“But I was going to go to PMQs, but I could see potential conflict. And being a very quiet, shy, modest kind of person, I decided to give it a wide berth.”